In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 126 Containment
night.

Zhang Like and Lu Zhao had a special meal prepared in the cafeteria.

Ever since the news spread that Lu Zhao was the border station chief, he couldn't show his face in public anymore. He couldn't even go to the food stalls he used to frequent, because he would easily attract a crowd if he did.

The food stall owner wasn't very emotionally intelligent; he tried his best to build a relationship with the owner, always offering free food and drinks.

Even someone like Zhang Like, who loves to show off, found it annoying. To put it bluntly, he was trying to gain favor by offering a few dishes.

So Zhang Like found the cafeteria chef and used a little bit of his privilege to occasionally ask him to cook special meals for him.

Lu Zhao would turn a blind eye to such minor privileges that did not harm the federal government or the people.

Besides, he was also eating and drinking.

Sometimes Lu Zhao would reflect on whether it was wrong for him to enjoy privileges without feeling it was wrong, and whether he needed to change his mindset.
The answer is yes, he still can't be completely selfless; he needs to move in that direction and learn from him.

As for whether others can enjoy minor privileges, Lu Zhao believes that under the current social conditions and mindset, privileges are unavoidable.

In federal society, people are inherently divided into noble and lowly classes, and the law cannot treat everyone equally.

The development of things should proceed step by step, and absolute equality is not a problem that should be considered at present.

Rather than slogans and overly distant ideals, Lu Zhao prefers to find ways to reduce the burden on farmers and try to make changes in small ways.

For example, his village's grain and farmers' association transferred the responsibility for transporting grain to local management units, saving farmers a sum of money.

Lu Zhao felt that taking this small step was something he should try. As for other things, those were things to consider later, or perhaps for future generations.

"The assessment team will be arriving in Fangshi in a month."

Lu Zhao talked about the notification he received this afternoon.

"I also received the notification, a month earlier than in previous years."

Zhang Like said, "With your previous 40 points of vitality, you can definitely participate, and you might even win an extraordinary young talent award."

Just as scientists have the Federal Young Scientist Award, extraordinary individuals also have the Young Scientist Award. Similar awards are found in all sectors of the federal government, serving as a social mechanism for selecting talent.

Winning the Youth Award doesn't mean you'll be set for life, but it will give you preferential treatment in future evaluations and awards, and make you more likely to be noticed by important figures.

"After receiving the Youth Award, there is a further opportunity to be selected as an Outstanding Youth, and finally as a Federal Outstanding Youth."

Zhang Like keeps giving out awards, but it's like he's just making empty promises.

Lu Zhao said, both amused and exasperated, "Do you think we're going to buy groceries?"

These awards are so coveted that talents from all over the federal government would fight tooth and nail for them. The local youth awards are easier to get, with dozens of slots available in a single county each year.

On average, two or three people in each city can win the award.

The Outstanding Youth Award is open to the entire field, with only ten slots available every three years. Each time, it's an extremely competitive race.

The Federal Outstanding Youth program, as the name suggests, is open to the entire nation, and now arguably the whole of human society, selecting the ten most outstanding individuals under the age of thirty-three.

Zhang Like laughed and said, "Aren't you aiming for the imperial court? With your background, how could you possibly get there unless you were an unparalleled genius?"

Lu Zhao waved his hand and said, "That's a long way off. Right now, we should be thinking about the assessment. I need a higher-level life supplement. Do you have a way to get it?"

After a moment's thought, Zhang Like said, "Irregular ones are easy to get, but they cost tens of thousands of yuan a bottle, which you definitely can't afford, and I don't have that kind of money either. Regular ones require an application, and they're quite difficult to obtain."

Lu Zhaodao: "So you can get it?"

"Of course, the supply of life supplements is negotiated between the unit and the winery. We can also negotiate for intermediate-level life supplements."

Zhang Like knew that Lu Zhao was poor and couldn't buy it through non-internal channels, so he automatically ignored it.

“The border station didn’t have that before because it was a battalion-level unit in a mountain valley. It didn’t need such a good facility, and it didn’t have the money. Now, as soon as the grain is harvested, we don’t even need to look for it. The distillery will come by smelling the grain.”

Food is the gold of the new era; only refined rice and flour can create a good foundation for life-sustaining nutrients.

While the Ant Ridge Garrison appears to have an annual budget of around 40 million, its actual value is likely much higher.

While private individuals cannot directly purchase grain, distilleries are federally owned, and many are state-owned enterprises, so purchasing grain is not illegal for them.

Therefore, in order to improve profitability, many wineries will go to local governments to sign acquisition contracts. Previously, the wineries negotiated with the city government, and then the allocation was made to various departments after the agreement was reached.

Now that the border post has been transformed into a border garrison, with its own farmland, the winery will inevitably come knocking on its door.

“However, it would be a bit wasteful to just get a ration contract for you. I'll see if I can pull some strings through internal channels.” Lu Zhao asked, “How much is a bottle of intermediate-level life supplement?”

He doesn't know much about this because he's never been able to get into leadership positions before.

The prices of life supplements vary greatly, mainly depending on the contract negotiated between the employer and the distillery, or the quota allocated by the superior unit.

There are many roundabout ways involved, such as using inferior products to siphon off government funding.

The truly good things are always "within the innermost circle"; without grasping the core of power, one can only drink the soup.

Lu Zhao drank inferior life supplements for four years, thinking it was because the small town was short of funds and could only provide this level of life supplements.

Prior to this, he was unaware that substandard life supplements circulated through internal federal channels existed.

Zhang Like replied, "The price is generally between 1000 and 1500, depending on the quantity. The more you order, the cheaper it will be, and the less you order, the more expensive it will be."

Lu Zhao pondered for a moment and said, "Old Zhang, if possible, I hope to get some better life supplements for the brothers in the camp. For first and second-tier life development, the quality of life supplements is crucial."

"They might not necessarily spend money to buy it."

Zhang Like did not directly object; he had now adjusted his stance. He simply advised, "Instead of accepting the high-quality ones, you might as well save some money and use it to pay out more in year-end bonuses. That way, you can get more."

Purchasing high-quality life supplements is a thankless task for management, as any money saved inevitably ends up in their pockets.

While cultivating extraordinary individuals is certainly a great achievement, nothing beats the tangible benefit of money.

“With the money, we can directly purchase from the regional managers of those wineries through internal channels, and the price might even be a little cheaper.”

Lu Zhao shook his head and said, "Old Zhang, I want to increase the unit's life-sustaining drug quota, not only for myself, but also for the brothers in the camp."

"The Federation is ultimately developed based on life, and we must give our brothers a way out."

Life development is not a fair path.

Because the Lu family was once promoted as a model, Lu Zhao was able to enter the Federal Institution for the Care of Children and receive top-notch educational resources.

The life supplements are all of the highest purity, the life bones are all selected from the best, and the teachers are all graduates of prestigious universities. It's possible that Lu Zhao won't be able to pass the imperial examination in the capital.

He benefited from the era's advantages, but many of his brothers at the border post did not.

Zhang Like said helplessly, "Fine, you're the leader, you decide. Should I expand the recruitment team, like going to high schools and universities to recruit people?"

"We can consider it. After changing it to a border garrison corps, our organizational structure will increase significantly."

Lu Zhao patted Zhang Like on the shoulder and joked, "Comrade Zhang, the training of personnel for the Border Garrison Corps will be entrusted to you from now on."

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July 22nd.

The city was calm, but Zhang Like learned through some friends in the city that the president of Wei's Grain & Rice had been taken away for investigation.

That afternoon, Wei's Grain was ordered to suspend operations for rectification.

July 23rd.

All products involving Weiss grains and rice were removed from shelves in Fangcheng District, warehouses were sealed off, and a large number of senior executives were arrested.

July 24th.

The finance director of the agricultural department in Fang City is under investigation. This is a deputy official position, but it is extremely important.

An investigation into finances means the crackdown will reach higher levels and could potentially expand indefinitely.

Multiple departments with supervisory powers, including the Market Supervision Bureau, the Administrative Supervision Bureau, the Municipal Supervision Bureau, and the Special Countermeasures Detachment, simultaneously launched an operation to surround and suppress the Wei family without warning.

Lu Zhao had just taken over the Ant Ridge jurisdiction and his foundation was unstable. He was overwhelmed by the grain depot, and the same was true for Wei Jiahong.

Furthermore, the scope of attacks they face is much wider than that faced by Lu Zhao. The border garrison only needs to focus on the issue of grain production, and the only place they can exert their efforts is the local grain depot.

Wei Jiahong was facing the entire Fangcheng District, where Zhao Deyu's faction was spread across all levels and departments.

While he could certainly use his power as the top leader to strengthen the voice of his subordinates within the department, Wei Jiahong could not replace the original department head in a short period of time.

(End of this chapter)